Apple planning on unveiling ‘iWatch’ alongside ‘iPhone 6′ … but only as an accessory

Previously expected to be unveiled in October, the so-called “iWatch” was yesterday reported by Re/code to be introduced by Apple alongside the so-called “iPhone 6″ on Sept. 9 instead. Bloomberg agrees, and it provides an interesting reason.

Citing “a person with knowledge of the plans,” Bloomberg claims that Apple is indeed going to launch its long-rumored wearable device along with its next-generation smartphone on said date. And the company is planning to do so in order to manage expectations for the iWatch, which is apparently less a standalone product than an iPhone accessory:

Apple will give the new wearable a boost by pairing its debut with its flagship product, the iPhone. The company also may be trying to manage expectations for the new device, signaling that its more of an accessory instead of a category that stands by itself. By contrast, when the iPad was introduced in 2010, Apple held a special event just for that product.

As an iPhone accessory, the iWatch may be paired with an iPhone as a companion device. For the most part, the wearable device has long been rumored to come with health and fitness tracking features, suggesting a tight integration with the Health app in iOS 8, which is expected to be launched with the iPhone 6 on Sept. 9.

Apple made the date official earlier today when it sent out invitations for a media event on Sept. 9. The invitations came with the teasing tagline, “Wish we could say more.“